Truck operators protest high fuel prices

BANGKOK, June 11 (TNA) – Thailand's truck drivers parked their rig along roadsides all over the country Wednesday morning in a bid to bring their protest against high diesel fuel prices to public, and government, attention.
Their representatives also submitted a stern letter to the prime minister and agencies concerned, demanding concrete measures to help them.
About 48 of the giant 18-wheeled rigs lined the roadside of the
Bangna-Trad highway on Wednesday morning while hundreds of trucks parked rig in the country's eastern and northeastern provinces.
Land Transport Federation secretary-general Thongyu Kongkhan submitted letters to the prime minister, the energy minister, and the transport minister, as well as to the chairman of the Federation of Thai Industries, urging the government to issue urgent measures to help cushion the impact of the high diesel price.
The federation demanded the government provide 400,000 litres of diesel per day for 400,000 trucks worldwide at a lower price for at least six months.
It asked the government to establish a fund to offer soft loans for truck operators to have their rigs fitted with NGV (natural gas fore vehicles) equipment. It also called for the Energy Ministry to hold talk with the the state-owned oil and gas conglomerate PTT to open more NGV filling stations on transportation routes nationwide.
The Ministry of Energy responded to their demand, saying it will find measures to help them.
The federation said protesters would disperse at noon on Thursday and if the government doesn't have any tangible measures issued by June 17, they will move their trucks into Bangkok to extend the protest.